Disney CEO Hints At Plans To Release New Marvel Franchise, More Avengers After ‘Avengers 4’
Avengers: Infinity War is busy conquering the worldwide box office. However, there might be more installments in the hit franchise.
The End Of The Road?
Next year's as-yet-untitled Avengers 4 is billed as the final chapter in superhero team-up movie that started with 2012's The Avengers. However, it might not actually be the end of the road, a Disney CEO disclosed.
Little is known about the plans Marvel Studios has after the 2019 movie, outside of upcoming sequels to Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming among others.
During an earnings call on Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger teased that fans may not be saying goodbye to their favorite superhero team next year.
"We meet on a regular basis with our Marvel team, and we've plotted out Marvel movies that will take us well into the next decade. I'm guessing we will try our hand at what I'll call a new franchise beyond Avengers, but that doesn't necessarily mean you won't see more Avengers down the road. We just haven't made any announcements about that," he revealed.
There's More To Come
Infinity War is currently No. 1 at the worldwide box office, with Iger noting that Marvel's combined 19-film output thus far has netted more than $16 billion globally.
Although he confirmed that the goal with Avengers 4, which directors Joe and Anthony Russo shot back-to-back with Infinity War, was to have a proper conclusion to the story, he wouldn't rule out more Avengers-based movies in the future.
"Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don't think people should conclude there will never be another Avengers movie," Iger teased.
Disney is working on getting 21st Century Fox assets, a move that would give them rights to classic Marvel characters including the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, both of whom have starred in recent movies that weren't particularly well-received.
One of the challenges facing Infinity War was the inclusion of so many different, popular characters, as noted by Disney CFO Christine McCarthy.
"Because of the size of the cast involved and the cost of the movie, the scale, the magnitude, while this film is going to be very profitable, it may not be on the same return level as some of the other films, because of the sheer scale of it," she explained.
What Does It All Mean?
At the time of writing, Infinity War has banked more than $1.1 billion worldwide. Its death-heavy finale left many fans in complete shock. ScreenPrism took a closer look at what each death means in the greater Marvel universe, relative to the comics, in a probing video.
It also takes a look at the views of Big Bad Thanos on population control, offering several theories in relation to same, including the fan theory that certain Avengers have survived and are existing in a parallel universe.
The main point of the video is how Infinity War sets up the passing of the torch from old characters to new ones. This makes sense, given several of the now presumed-dead Avengers is scheduled to appear in other movies from the behemoth studio.
Marvel's slate is already packed, with sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp due July 6, followed by the hugely-anticipated, Brie Larson-starring Captain Marvel on March 8 next year, Avengers 4 on May 3, and the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel penciled in for July 5. There are also nine upcoming Marvel movies scheduled for release in the next few years.
